Contributors

Ann Thomas

Ann started out as a journalist (television and print), produced television commercials, reality shows before teaching art and design students.

She has worked closely with the management at design houses, institutions, start ups and media houses to design various internal processes, government organisations like BBMP and Namma Metro, to look at art and activism in public spaces. 

Ann was Associate Head of Strategy at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Working with design education has helped her see the value of empathy, vulnerability and disruption in making learning ‘transformational’. She is an advisor to K-12 and Higher Educational Institutions in India and works with educators to help them to lead engaging classrooms and students to inspire them to take up careers that stem from their strengths. 

In her role as Associate Vice President at DALHAM Foundation, she helped create a network of advisors, ambassadors and over  30+ colleges and universities that worked towards promoting creative and liberal education. With her team, she built India’s first mental and emotional wellbeing assessment for students and schools to take up.

Ann has trained students in communication, project management, placement, marketing, audience building and PR and helped them manage events ranging across experimental art collaborations and multi-media performances to film festivals, music concerts and even academic conferences.

Ann believes in story telling and open communication. The world will change when we talk – openly and instinctively about issues, uncomfortable issues.

She also writes about her journey as a parent raising her defiant and non-conformist sons, both of whom she hopes will grow into empathetic humanists.